Burma's Independence
Military rule
On 2 March 1962, the military led by General Ne Win took control of Burma through a coup d'état and the government has been under direct or indirect control by the military since then. A new constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma was adopted in 1974.
In May 1990, the government held free elections for the first time in almost 30 years and the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, won 392 out of a total 489 seats (i.e., 80% of the seats). However, the military junta refused to cede power[59] and continued to rule the nation as SLORC until 1997, and then as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) until its dissolution in March 2011. The protests because of hike in petrol and diesel prices became a campaign of civil resistance (also called the Saffron Revolution. led by Buddhist monks,[65]hundreds of whom defied the house arrest of democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi to pay their respects at the gate of her house. The government finally cracked down on them on 26 September 2007. The crackdown was harsh, with reports of barricades at the Shwedagon Pagoda and monks killed.
In the critical days following the cyclone Nargis, Burma's isolationist government hindered recovery efforts by delaying the entry of United Nations planes delivering medicine, food, and other supplies.[68]
In early August 2009, a conflict known as the Kokang incident broke out in Shan State in northern Burma. For several weeks, junta troops fought against ethnic minorities including the Han Chinese,[69] Va, and Kachin.[70][71] During 8–12 August, the first days of the conflict, as many as 10,000 Burmese civilians fled to Yunnan province in neighbouring China.[70][71][72]
Reforms and transition towards democracy [edit] general elections were held under the new constitution in 2010. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party later declared victory, stating that it had been favoured by 80 percent of the
On 2 March 1962, the military led by General Ne Win took control of Burma through a coup d'état and the government has been under direct or indirect control by the military since then. A new constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma was adopted in 1974.
In May 1990, the government held free elections for the first time in almost 30 years and the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, won 392 out of a total 489 seats (i.e., 80% of the seats). However, the military junta refused to cede power[59] and continued to rule the nation as SLORC until 1997, and then as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) until its dissolution in March 2011. The protests because of hike in petrol and diesel prices became a campaign of civil resistance (also called the Saffron Revolution. led by Buddhist monks,[65]hundreds of whom defied the house arrest of democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi to pay their respects at the gate of her house. The government finally cracked down on them on 26 September 2007. The crackdown was harsh, with reports of barricades at the Shwedagon Pagoda and monks killed.
In the critical days following the cyclone Nargis, Burma's isolationist government hindered recovery efforts by delaying the entry of United Nations planes delivering medicine, food, and other supplies.[68]
In early August 2009, a conflict known as the Kokang incident broke out in Shan State in northern Burma. For several weeks, junta troops fought against ethnic minorities including the Han Chinese,[69] Va, and Kachin.[70][71] During 8–12 August, the first days of the conflict, as many as 10,000 Burmese civilians fled to Yunnan province in neighbouring China.[70][71][72]
Reforms and transition towards democracy [edit] general elections were held under the new constitution in 2010. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party later declared victory, stating that it had been favoured by 80 percent of the